Fix PDF Export with Layers Issue.

[sgwilliams]

We recently switch all published ".idw" files to pdf instead of the default ".dwf" due to Autodesk poor support of the Old Design Review ActiveX Control which was broken for many years. We have moved on from there. Autodesk Inventor does have a publish/export to pdf feature which includes the ability to export layers. These layers export without issue to page one only. Any additional pages exported layers are all jumbled. The layers and the assigned features to those layers may or may not work or may reassign themselves to other features. It's a mess. My idea would be to fix this issue. I have a support ticket and have been told that this is being looked at. This is the reply that was given Sept. 2016 (approx. 6 months ago): 

"Our development team has confirmed this as an issue. They are currently looking to see if a fix can be provided in a future release or update. Currently there is not further information about a resolution for this issue, a resolution for this incident is being investigated for a future release. I will now go ahead and escalate this case to the development team for added weight to this issue. Once escalated, this case will be closed with technical support, this means it is only closed from a product technical support side of things; I assure you this it is still linked to the case that was opened with our development team, and I will notify you should there be any additional updates."

This is a classic reply for a feature that is released and forgotten. It is pretty much the same reply I got for the broken Design Review ActiveX Control. I don't know about the rest of Autodesk customers, but I would like this fixed and addressed not swept under the rug and ignored. I understand that the proprietary ".dwf" files are making this company money with the pay per view option on their A360 viewer. It's a great tool for those that don't mind paying for something twice.

I do understand that development takes time. What I do not appreciate is being told that it will be fixed and it only gets mothballed. If you are not going to fix it please let us know so we can move forward with an alternative measure instead of waiting for something that will never happen. 

Some additional information about this is that We still publish a dwf as well as a pdf. Our reasoning is that Design Review still allows for pulling dimensions where a pdf does not. Generally, this is not required by most of our employees. Also, the .dwf file layers has no issues on any pages. So something tells me that if they can make this work for a dwf file they can make it work for a pdf file. Just saying.

What do you all think about Autodesk fixing this? Would it be beneficial to have this fixed for you or don't you feel it would benefit your companies file exporting flexibilities? 

[janelson33]

Lol, such an Autodesk move...quarter-to-quarter profits!!

I think it should be done reading your first paragraph alone. Why the hell would they be in a list, organized, in the software, but not even export?! Whomever was in control of that was either incapable, or at the mercy of some dumb software/hardware limit.